Who Am I?
by SkyGem
Summary: One day, Ryoma suddenly finds out that he's not who he's always thought he was. This is about him learning who he truly is and having to choose between the life he's always known, for one he left years ago. Please r&r, a lot better than the summary.


**Ryoma**

"Ryoma!" called Natsumi, poking her head into my room.

Turning away from my computer, I looked at her and asked, "What's up?"

Flipping her chocolate brown hair out of her eyes, she said, "I need help with my science homework!"

Sighing, I asked, "Again?"

"Well, it's not my fault! The teacher just doesn't explain things clearly!"

Laughing, I said, "Yeah, whatever. I'll help. Come in."

Squealing happily, she came in, carrying her science binder.

For the next hour or so, I helped her with her biology homework, then, when she finally understood, she left, throwing a, "Thanks nii-chan!" over her shoulder. When she was gone, I turned back to my computer, but suddenly, I remembered something important.

Heading downstairs, I stuck my head into the kitchen and said, "Ne, okaa-san?"

"Yes, Ryoma?" she asked, not turning around.

"I need my birth certificate for school tomorrow. Do you know where it is?"

I noticed her stiffen a little at the mention of a birth certificate, and the wooden spoon she had been holding dropped from her hand and hit the floor with a clatter. Turning around, she looked at me with the saddest expression in her eyes, and I felt my stomach churn, and I knew that, whatever she would say next would not be pleasant.

"I guess it's time," she said in a voice that matched her expression.

Confused, I followed her to the living room, and we sat together on the sofa. Gathering my hands in hers, she looked into my eyes, and I could see myself reflected in there, looking normal, not even a hint showing of the confusion I was feeling inside.

Sighing, she began her story. "Now Ryoma, I want you to hear me out, and please, don't say anything until I'm done. Okay?"

I just nodded, and she continued. "Sweetie, the truth is, you're adopted."

I froze at this, unable to say anything. Continuing on, she said, "We found you, ten years ago, unconscious in the midst of a burned down house. Nobody knew where you had come from, and not too long after you woke up, it was determined that you had no memories prior to the accident. Everyone was wondering what to do with you, and there was talk of sending you to an orphanage, but your father and I had already grown attached to you, and were adamant that we take over your guardianship. You came home with us, and were soon a very important part of our family. From the beginning, you believed that we were your real family, so we decided to keep it that way," and here, her voice became almost desperate. "But I promise we weren't trying to keep it from you! P-please don't look badly on us! Please!" she said, her voice turning into a whimper near the end.

Unable to see her like this, but not knowing what else to do, I said, "I-I'm not mad at you, I just…need some time to think it over," I said, then turned and headed up to my bedroom, hearing my mother sobbing behind me. Getting to my room, I locked the door behind me, and lay down on my bed, contemplating this new piece of information I had just acquired. It still hadn't really sunk in, and it all still felt so surreal.

I must have fallen asleep, because later, I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door. My eyes fluttered open, and I called, "Come in!"

The door opened, and in walked my dad. "Hey kid," he said, his smile strained.

"Hey otou-san," I replied sleepily.

He seemed to relax a little at this, then sat on the edge of my bed. "So," he said. "You've found out?"

I just nodded quietly, not able to say anything.

"Do you have any questions?" he asked. "I'll answer them as best I can."

I thought for a moment, then asked, "Where was it exactly that you found me?"

His smiled became strained again, and he said, "In the abandoned lot two streets down. Your mother and I had just been visiting friends, and were on our way home when we noticed you in the middle of the rubble."

I nodded, not sure what to say. Then, a question came to mind, "Is my name really Ryoma?" I asked.

He looked confused, so I clarified, "Is it a name you gave me?"

Finally understanding, he shook his head, and said, "You yourself told us so. It was the only thing you actually remembered about yourself."

I thought for a moment, "And my birthday is the day you found me." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

He nodded. After a moment of silence, I said, "Sorry otou-san, but can you leave me alone for a while? I need some time to think."

He nodded again and turned to leave. Before he went through the door, though, he said, "Remember, Ryoma, your mother and I both love you."

I nodded, and looked up at the ceiling. Hearing the door close softly, I closed my eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep. The last coherent thought before I slipped into the deep abyss of darkness was, _Who exactly am I?_

In all my dreams, this was the prominent question, twining into every scene I saw, tugging at the back of my mind the whole time.

When next I opened my eyes, it was deep into the night, and someone had come during the night to put a blanket on me. Propping myself up onto my elbows, I look over at the clock, and saw that it was ten to twelve. Getting up, I looked groggily around, and decided that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anytime soon. Opening the door to my room, I drifted through the house, nothing but a ghostly shadow. Arriving downstairs, I slipped on my shoes, and opened the door. Walking out, I felt the warm summer night wrap around me, like the embrace of a loved one.

I never consciously decided where to go. I just let me feet take me where they may, and soon found myself heading towards the empty lot where my parents had supposedly found me. About twenty minutes later, I was on the sidewalk in front of the empty field, only it wasn't so empty anymore. It seems that, after all these years, they were finally rebuilding.

Standing there, staring at the skeleton of the yet to be built house, I felt something tugging at the edge of my mind.

Suddenly, a dim memory came to me, a memory of a boy who looked just like me, only ten years younger. He had the same jet black hair tinged with green, and pointed amber eyes, and he was saying something, but I couldn't make out what.

Suddenly, I was snapped out of my memory by a harsh honk of a car horn. My head snapped around, and I saw a car heading straight towards me.

My mind was faster than my body in that it figured out that I was about to be run over, while my body would not move an inch. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the car's headlights; bright, and beautiful, and harsh.

_Looking around, I saw nothing but an inky blackness. Suddenly, out of that blackness, a blurry shape began to form. Within moments, the blurry shape had taken the form of the boy I had seen earlier._

_I looked at him, and he looked at me, neither of us saying a word. Then, slowly, his face began to change shape and become more mature. He started to grow taller and within moments, I was looking at someone who could be an exact clone of me.._

"_Ryoga," I whispered breathlessly, not knowing where the name came from._

_Suddenly, his face distorted, and his expression became pained. "What's keeping you, Chibisuke? Won't you come back to us?"_

_His expression pained me so much; it felt as if I couldn't breathe. Then, I realized I really couldn't breathe. On instinct, I looked up, and started treading my arms, swimming back to the surface of my consciousness. Just when it felt like my lungs would burst_…

I opened my eyes. The bright lights overhead blinded me, and I snapped them shut again. Waiting a second, I opened my eyes a crack and looked around. Opening them fully, I took in the scene before me, and knew immediately I was in a hospital. Everything was white. Well, almost everything.

At one side of my bed, was my mom, disheveled looking and tired, her head on the edge of my hospital bed, sleeping. Over in a chair in the corner was my dad, also asleep.

Once upon a time, this would have made me happy, but I was no longer the same Kobayashi Ryoma from before the accident. While I was unconscious, I had regained many things, my true nature being one of them.

As I sat up, the one I had called mother stirred, and opened her eyes. Seeing me awake, her eyes widened, and she shouted, "Ryoma!"

Throwing her arms around me, she sobbed quietly. I pulled away from her and brought up my hand, securing it around her fragile neck. At first she looked confused, then, as my hand tightened, her eyes became frightened.

"R-Ryoma, honey?" she asked.

Smiling coldly, I tightened my hand even more, and said, "Don't call my name, you filthy mortal."

Her eyes looked disbelieving, and as the light faded from her eyes, she uttered just one final word, "Ry…oma…?"

Throwing her to the ground, I looked up, and saw that the one I had once called father was now awake. As he stared confusedly between me and his dead wife, I could tell that he still wasn't fully awake. "Ryoma?" he asked, confused.

Getting up and heading over to him, I put a hand on his head, and twisted it all the way around, breaking his neck. "I said. Not. To. Call. My. Name."

Opening my fist, I let his lifeless body drop to the ground. Wiping my hands on the hospital gown I was currently in, I was about to take off when I heard a whimper from behind me. Turning around, I saw Natsumi standing in the doorway, a small bouquet of flowers on the floor beside her.

"R-Ryoma?" she asked.

Smiling sweetly, I went up to her, holding my arms open as if to embrace her.

She slowly backed away, looking terrified, and I dropped my charade. Adopting a furious expression, I said, "Come here, gaki."

She just backed off quicker, the terror in her eyes intensifying. Turning, she attempted to make a run for it, but I caught her by her hair, and yanked her back towards me, whispering in a deadly voice, "You should listen to your elders more often."

All I got in response was a whimper. She was terrified. Not letting go of her hair, I pulled backwards until her eyes were looking upwards, looking up at me. I kept pulling, and she screamed. Before long, her neck gave out and her usually bright brown eyes became glassy and opaque, lifeless.

Amazingly enough, she had strength to utter one last word. "Onii…..chan….."

Letting go of her, disgusted, I turned around, and noticed someone sitting on the window ledge. Someone exactly like me.

"Ryoga," I said, almost happily.

He smiled, and said, "So you're finally back, chi-bi-su-ke."

"Does it not look like I am?" I replied, then looked down at the gown I was wearing.

Chuckling, he came up to me and punched me in the arm, saying, "I missed you."

"Yeah, whatever, thanks," I said hurriedly. "Now can we please go?"

"Whatever you say, little bro."

Right away, I headed to the window, and jumped out, Ryoga right behind me. I watched, unafraid, as the cold, hard, pavement flew up to meet me. As we reached the floor, Ryoga pulled up, but I kept falling, and eventually felt the resistance as my earthly body met the obstacle of the ground, and shattered beyond hopes of repair. Relishing the feeling as the chains that bound me to the material world were removed, I unfolded my wings and gracefully carved my way upward, my black hair flowing gracefully down my back in an inky waterfall, matching the colour of my wings.

As I broke free from the ground, soaring up through the air, I rejoined Ryoma, and we flew up together, heading to the place we called home. After not too long, we arrived at our destination. The blackness of my dreams. And, just like in my dreams, a shape melted out of the darkness. Unlike my dreams, though, the shape split in two, and it wasn't Ryoma.

It was Nanjiroh and Rinko, both sporting black wings like mine and Ryoga's. Ryoga went up to them, his wings trailing behind him. When he reached them, he turned around, and my father started speaking.

"Welcome home, Ryoma Are you ready to begin the siege?"

"But of course, baka oyaji," I replied. "Those filthy mortals won't know what hit them."

Suddenly remembering the question I had asked myself just days ago, it seemed suddenly trivial to me. Who am I? Why, I'm the fallen angel Ryoma, and soon, the whole world shall belong to me.

* * *

SkyeSyren: So, what did you guys think? This was originally a story that I entered into a writing contest, but after changing the names and a few details, I posted it on here. I know it ends in a cliffi, but don't be expecting any more chapters cause this is the end, sadly enough. But, I am interested to see what other people would do with this idea, so I'm going to make it a challenge. As long as you keep the basic events of this first chapter the same, you can do absolutely aything you want with it. PM me if you want to take up the challenge, and please send me a link as soon as you've posted it, please and thank you in advance!


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